West Indies bowler hit with punishment from ICC over act towards Pat Cummins in first Test

West Indies hero Jayden Seales has been fined by the ICC after he gave Pat Cummins a send-off on the opening day of the first cricket Test against Australia. Cummins once again made his Aussie batting teammates look foolish, hitting 28 off 18 balls as wickets tumbled around him.

Only Usman Khawaja (47) and Travis Head (59) found success on Wednesday, with Australia dismissed for 180 - their lowest total against the Windies in 30 years. It could have been even worse without Cummins' late flurry, with the Aussie captain rescuing his side from complete humiliation.

Jayden Seales was clearly frustrated by Pat Cummins' cameo. Image: Getty/Windies Cricket

Cummins took a particular liking to Seales, before he became the West Indies bowler's fourth scalp when he hit one straight to Kraigg Brathwaite at mid-off. Seales showed his frustration when he pointed Cummins in the direction of the dressing rooms - a big no-no in the modern game.

Send-offs are a thing of the past and strictly forbidden under the ICC's current laws. Article 2.5 of the ICC's code of conduct forbids "using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon dismissal."

Jayden Seales appeared to point Pat Cummins in the direction of the dressing room. Image: Windies Cricket

While Seales' actions weren't aggressive or fiery, it doesn't matter under the letter of the law. The key part is they had the potential to spark an aggressive reaction from Cummins if the Aussie captain didn't appreciate it.

The ICC revealed on Thursday that Seales had been fined 15 per cent of his match fee. "In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to the disciplinary record of Seales, for whom it was the second offence in a 24-month period, taking his tally of demerit points in a 24-month period to two," the governing body said in a statement.

If a player accrues four demerit points in a 24-month period they receive a ban. It was similar to what we saw between Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head last December, when the Indian bowler gave his Aussie counterpart a send-off in Adelaide. Siraj didn't act overly aggressively when he waved Head away after dismissing him, but it sparked a reaction from Head.

The Aussie batter had some choice words with Siraj as a result, and they were both later sanctioned by the ICC. Head received an official reprimand, while Siraj was fined 20 per cent of his match fee. Both players were given one demerit point on their official records as well.

Jayden Seales took five wickets as Australia were bowled out for 180. (Photo by RANDY BROOKS/AFP via Getty Images)

Aussie cricket writer Daniel Cherny noted on Wednesday: "There was plenty of feeling in the celebration, with Seales pointing the Australian captain in the direction of the dressing room." Fellow journalist Bharat Sundaresan wrote on social media: "Not sure how often Pat Cummins has been given a send-off, wagging his finger and pointing in the direction of the Aussie dressing room. Something about this Jayden Seales. Terrific bowler and always feisty."

RELATED:

Others pointed out that Seales' celebration has the potential to blow up in his face should the Windies fail to capitalise on their brilliant start. The hosts went to stumps on day one at 4-57, still 123 runs behind Australia with six wickets in hand.

Cummins snared the key wicket of Keacy Carty for 20, after Mitchell Starc dismissed openers Brathwaite (4) and John Campbell (7). Josh Hazlewood sent Jomel Warrican packing for a duck as the Aussie bowlers produced the perfect response to the team's woeful batting display.

This article originally appeared on Yahoo Sport Australia at https://au.news.yahoo.com/west-indies-bowler-could-face-punishment-from-icc-over-act-towards-pat-cummins-in-first-test-233204505.html

Post Related